Apple unveiled the first MacBook Pro with a touchscreen. Steve Jobs criticized the idea.
The maker of the iPhone popularized touchscreens, but for nearly 20 years resisted the idea of putting them in laptops
Apple hopes to revitalize its laptop lineup and boost revenue by charging higher prices for premium features / Photo: Apple
Apple has unveiled an updated MacBook Pro with a touchscreen. After nearly two decades of resisting the idea, the company has added a feature to its flagship laptop that has become the standard in the personal computer industry, according to Bloomberg.
The new model is the first Mac to feature an OLED display—a technology already used in the latest generations of the iPhone and iPad. The laptop is equipped with the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips and features a redesigned interface optimized for touch control. It is also thinner and lighter than the previous model, Apple said in a promotional video.
The laptop is available in two versions—with 14-inch and 16-inch screens. Prices for the 14-inch model start at $2,899, and for the 16-inch model, at $3,399.
Apple shares fell 0.4% during trading in New York.
Context
For years, consumers have been urging Apple to incorporate touchscreens into its laptops—a technology that the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch have made accessible to the general public, according to Bloomberg.
However, within the company, this idea faced deep resistance for a long time. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs sharply criticized the idea of touchscreen computers in 2010, calling them “ergonomically terrible.” His successor, Tim Cook, stated in 2012 that combining a laptop and a tablet would be like trying to cross a refrigerator with a toaster, and other top Apple executives mocked the concept in interviews.
About four years ago, management's stance changed: according to Bloomberg, Tim Cook and John Ternus—who is now Apple's CEO and previously oversaw hardware development—supported the transition of the MacBook Pro to a touchscreen.
Why is Apple doing this?
Apple hopes to give its Mac lineup a new boost and increase revenue by charging higher prices for premium features, the agency notes. According to Counterpoint Research, Apple’s switch to OLED in the MacBook Pro will be one of the factors driving a 50% increase in shipments of OLED displays for laptops in 2026.
This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor
